City to get $215,000 in transportation package

The City of Cottage Grove is poised to earn an additional $215,000 from the state in the 2019-2021 biennium. The state of Oregon's transportation bill, which passed both houses prior to the session break, came in at $5.3 billion over the next 10 years.

In the next biennium, Cottage Grove is expected to received $215,000. In the following biennium, 2021-2013 it's scheduled to earn $407,000 and in the following biennium the city will receive $505,000.

While the added funds are a welcome relief to the city's budget after Cottage Grove residents voted down a gas tax last November, it is not enough to solve the city's road problem.

Cottage Grove residents have complained habitually about the city's roads and bombarded an online reporting forum set up by the city to spot potholes.

"We had people reporting all of 6th St.," Meyers previously noted.

The city is currently working on three projects: S. 6th St. from Hwy. 99 to Johnson, Mosbey Creek Rd. from Thorton to Currin and the sidewalk construction on S. 4th near the new school.

In addition to the added funds, the state has set aside $10 million for the Safe Routes to School fund which can issue grants to municipalities. It's something Meyers said he hopes the city can take advantage of for the coming construction on the sidewalk upgrades.

"Instead of going to homeowners and saying 'You don't have a sidewalk and this is how much it costs,' we can apply for this money and it will pay up to 60 percent of the cost of they project," he said.

The condition of the city's roads continues to be a hot topic with the last city council meeting garnering conversation over the improvements to certain streets adjacent to the railroad tracks. However, the railroad owns those roads and their repairs are subject to the railroad's budget and schedule, not the city of Cottage Grove.